1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to rotating perforated drum food machinery, and more particularly to a food processor having a dual rotating drum arrangement.
2. Description of the Related Art
Commercial quantities of a food product such as pasta, green peas, corn, beans or other such food products are often processed in rotating drum blanchers or coolers. These machines typically employ a cylindrical drum formed utilizing a perforate stainless steel sheet which rotates within a water filled tank. The cylindrical drum has a helical auger therein which advances or urges the food product in a continuous fashion from an inlet end of the drum to an outlet end.
Certain types of food product such as lasagna noodles are larger and more fragile or delicate than other products. Lasagna noodles, for example, are about 2 inches wide and about 7 inches long and have ruffled edges along their sides. Lasagna noodles are also of a relatively fragile or delicate nature such that they can become torn or otherwise damaged if subjected to an external force such as a mechanical agitation force. This type of product typically can run at a depth of no more than about 4 inches within the drum. The relative large size, greater mass and delicate nature of such noodles causes damage to the product or clogs up the drum when run at depths greater than 4 inches. The terms "fragile" and "delicate" used herein are intended to generally impart that the food product is susceptible to some type of damage during processing.
A conventional food processor utilizes a single rotating drum typically made having a large diameter and a long length in order to process enormous quantities of food product over a given time. As with most industries, simultaneous improved quality and increased quantity and efficiency are important goals. For most types of food products, using a larger diameter and longer length drum is more than adequate to gain a tremendous volume increase for food processing. For example, drums today are as large or larger than 72 inches in diameter and 28 feet in length. Many types of food products can run at depths as high as 21 inches within the drum.
Because larger, odd shaped and delicate products such as lasagna noodles can create processing problems when run at depths upward of 4 inches, the product volume within the drum cannot be easily increased by simply enlarging the cylinder. Regardless of how large or how long the drum is made, the amount of volume increase for the processing of certain products such as lasagna noodles can increase only about 9% for every 12 inch diameter increase. A point of diminishing returns is reached wherein the equipment becomes excessively large and expensive and takes up too much floor space without a corresponding gain in production volume.